David John Marotta, CFP®, AIF®, is President of Marotta Wealth Management, Inc. of Charlottesville providing fee-only financial planning and wealth management at www.emarotta.com and blogging at www.marottaonmoney.com.

In 2011, we made the Marotta Gone Fishing Portfolio and have updated and reviewed it every year since. A gone-fishing portfolio has a limited number of investments with a balanced asset allocation that should do well with dampened volatility. Its primary appeal is simplicity. But a secondary virtue is that it avoids the worst mistakes of the financial services industry. The Marotta gone-fishing portfolio is used by many subscribers as a free and simple way of low-cost investing.

The gone-fishing portfolio provides suggested asset allocations for investors up to age 70 and up to $1 million. Comprehensive financial planning can …

Daniel D. Joss MBA, CFP®, RLP® is a seasoned Financial Life Planning professional with over 16 years of advising clients. Dan earned a Master of Business Administration, with an emphasis in financial planning from Regent University in 1999. He has been selected more than once as Top Financial Advisor in Northern Virginia Magazine. Dan speaks regularly in various peer forums and professional organizations. He has also been quoted in various national and local print and online publications.

The Issue of Debt: Part 6, Car Loans After I graduated from college, and before I was to report to Ft. Eustis, for my first bit of Army training, I bought my first car; a beautiful white Ford Mustang. I figured with a guaranteed three year employment, I could swing a three … Continue reading The Issue of Debt: Part 6, Car Loans→…
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As individuals begin to file their tax returns for 2015 here are some tax credits that some individuals may qualify for to help reduce, if not eliminate their tax liability.

Child Tax Credit. This credit may be worth up to $1,000 per child, depending on income. The child must be under age 17 at the end of 2015, as well as be a dependent and a US citizen. Additional information can be found in Publication 972.

The American Opportunity Tax Credit. This tax credit for education expenses is allowed for parents for up to the first four years of post-secondary

Will you reach the financial goals you set for the New Year? Sure, we have not even finished the first month of the New Year but if you are already dissatisfied with your progress, you might need to do something differently. Whether it was the switch from the holiday season, changes in the weather, or the reality that your financial goals are going to require more effort than you thought, you may need to build more momentum to keep going.

In an article for The Motley Fool website, finance columnist Morgan Housel wrote:

Given the recent market volatility and the uncertainty that comes with it here are a few things to consider to reduce potential stress. Some individuals can perhaps make the best of a rocky situation.

Do nothing. Before reacting or making a decision that could affect your returns and income in the future, take a moment to think about the situation. Is it as bad as it seems? Is it just like the previous market dips? What happened afterwards? If you’ve decided on the correct asset allocation for your portfolio then expecting market dips should be the norm, not the